Woman arrested in probe into ‘asylum seekers being advised to fake they’re homosexual’
Home Office minister Mike Tapp shared footage of immigration enforcement officers raiding a home in London as part of a investigation into what he described as ‘dodgy immigration advisors’
An immigration advisor has been arrested after being accused of coaching asylum seekers to lie(Image: @MikeTappTweets/X)
A woman in her 40s has been arrested after being accused of coaching asylum seekers to lie in order to remain in the UK.
Home Office minister Mike Tapp shared footage of immigration enforcement officers raiding a home in London in an investigation into alleged “dodgy immigration advisors”.
Posting the footage, Mr Tapp declared: “We are not having it”. He told viewers that the suspect was accused of encouraging asylum seekers to pretend to be gay in order to remain in the country.
Advisors found to be providing this advice would be “gaming” and “undermining” the immigration system, he said. “It undercuts the British public because it means that people may be getting asylum when they quite simply shouldn’t be,” Mr Tapp stated.
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The suspect was arrested on suspicion of providing an illegal immigration service. A man in his early 20s was also arrested on suspicion of fraud in connection with the investigation.
Immigration minister Mr Tapp said: “If lawyers, or so-called lawyers, and legal advisers are out there providing this dodgy advice, we’re coming after them. And as you’ve seen today, we’ll make those arrests.”
“Our asylum system is there for people who are genuinely fleeing persecution and war and I’m really proud of that. People that are trying to abuse it will not be accepted.”
In the clip officers are seen entering an address in the capital on Wednesday, with Mr Tapp in tow.
In March a BBC investigation uncovered a “shadow industry” of law firms and advisors helping migrants come up with fake cover stories – including being gay.
This included obtaining supporting letters, photographs and medical reports. The BBC reported that people would then claim to be gay and saying they fear for their lives if forced to return to Pakistan or Bangladesh.
In response the Home Office said: “Anyone found trying to exploit the system will face the full force of the law, including removal from the UK.”
It was claimed that lawyers charged up to £7,000 to help with false asylum claims. The BBC probe, which looked at multiple firms, also found a lawyer saying he had helped clients pretend to be gay or atheists in order to get asylum.
